COLLEGE FOOTBALL
New Mexico Bowl: North Texas, San Diego State managing coaching changes
Mean Green and Aztecs will miss key play callers entering Dec. 27 game
Published
Modified
When it comes to strength-on-strength matchups, few games this postseason are more compelling than the Isleta New Mexico Bowl.
In one corner, No. 23 North Texas (11-1, 7-1). The Mean Green lead the nation in scoring offense (44.8 points per game) and total offense (504.3 yards per game) with a balanced, but wide-open attack.
In the other, San Diego State (9-3, 6-2). The Aztecs are big, physical and defensively sound, holding opponents to 12.6 points and 157 passing yards per game, both good for fifth in the 136-team FBS.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had some sleepless nights at the end of the season,鈥� San Diego State head coach Sean Lewis laughed in a news conference Wednesday, 鈥渢hanks to this elite matchup.鈥�
The only problem?
The play-callers who took those units to such lofty heights won鈥檛 be around for the Dec. 27 game in Albuquerque.
North Texas head coach Eric Morris and San Diego State defensive coordinator Rob Aurich recently took new jobs at Oklahoma State and Nebraska, respectively.
Morris was in late November after compiling a 22-16 record in three seasons with the Mean Green, while Aurich was Both served as the primary play-callers for their respective units, two of the strongest in college football.
In Morris鈥� place, offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Jordan Davis will handle offensive play-calling duties for North Texas in the New Mexico Bowl. Interim head coach Drew Svoboda said there will be input from other staffers, but expects Davis to 鈥渓ead the charge" as a play-caller.
鈥淛ordan鈥檚 prepared for this moment,鈥� he added in a news conference on Wednesday. 鈥淗e鈥檚 called plays in scrimmages and two-minute drills in practice. We鈥檝e got a lot of confidence (in Davis) 鈥� (But) it鈥檚 not one guy making all the decisions 鈥� there鈥檚 always a little bit of collaboration, and that鈥檒l continue.鈥�
Lewis announced Monday that defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach Demetrius Sumler will serve as the Aztecs鈥� defensive coordinator for the New Mexico Bowl. San Diego State鈥檚 second-year head coach said this is the first time Sumler has called plays after joining the Aztecs鈥� staff in 2016, adding he was excited to see him put his own mark on the defense.
鈥淗e鈥檚 got a lot of depth of knowledge, he鈥檚 got his own ideas as well,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e does a really good job of understanding how the game fits from the back end to the front end, and vice versa. At the root of it, he鈥檚 a great connector of young men and guys are excited about the opportunity, they鈥檙e excited to go play for him.鈥�
But if coaching changes might put a damper on an otherwise strong matchup, player opt-outs have been limited 鈥� at least to this point. That means conference player of the year winners such as North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker and San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson are still in line to take part in the New Mexico Bowl.
鈥淲e got them all on board and they鈥檙e ready to continue this thing and stay together as a football team,鈥� Svoboda said. 鈥淥bviously, there鈥檚 a lot of time between now and that football game, but we are really optimistic that we鈥檙e going to have all hands on deck.鈥�
